The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA), Dr. Paul Ezeonu, has said in an effort to reduce maternal morbidity in rural areas of Ebonyi State, the hospital has deployed medical doctors to some mission hospitals in the state. He said the posting of the doctors to the hospitals had really helped in saving lives in the areas. Speaking when members of the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state visited him in his office in Abakaliki at the weekend, Dr. Ezeonu said the hospital embarked on mass recruitment of staff to…

The bodies of seven Egyptian Christians have been found on a beach near the Libyan city of Benghazi, officials said. They died after being shot in the head and chest, security officials said. A Libyan interior ministry official told the BBC that authorities could not “at this stage speculate on the motive of the crime”. The Libyan government has struggled to impose order since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and killings and assassinations have become common. Last month, a British man and a woman from New Zealand were shot execution-style west of the capital Tripoli.

Pope Francis has taken his boldest step yet to overhaul the Vatican’s scandal-plagued finances, creating a new department with broad powers to oversee all of its economic and administrative affairs, the Vatican said. The Secretariat for the Economy will answer directly to the Pope and will be headed by Australian Cardinal George Pell, currently the Archbishop of Sydney. The Pope will also name an auditor with oversight powers, according to a papal document known as a Motu Proprio, Latin for “by his own initiative”, formalizing the changes. The Secretariat will be guided in policy making by a new 15-member Council…

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has vowed to continue with the six months old strike. At the end of its 48th Zonal Conference in Yola, Adamawa State capital, ASUP directed all its affiliates that have not joined the strike to do so with immediate effect. ASUP, in an address delivered by its president, Comrade C.B Asomugha, condemned the Federal Government for its nonchalant attitude to polytechnic education in Nigeria. The ASUP president, who spoke through Comrade Clement Chairman, its National Public Relations Officer, said the six months strike embarked upon by the union was to press home their…

Uneasy calm reigns in Onitsha, Anambra State as child theft has assumed a dangerous dimension in the commercial city with the emergence of a syndicate that allegedly seals children from Calabar, Cross River State and uses Onitsha as its sales point. However, luck ran out on two suspected female members of the syndicate when they were apprehended at separate spots by policemen attached to the Okpoko Police Division at AkwaIbomPark axis along Onitsha-Owerri Road after an unidentified woman was arrested for allegedly stealing two babies from Calabar and selling them in Onitsha. Another woman suspected to be a member of…

Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovich said on Thursday he was still the legitimate president of his country and that people in its southeastern and southern regions would never accept the “lawlessness” brought by leaders chosen by a mob. Russian news agencies quoted a statement by Yanukovich as saying he had asked Moscow to guarantee his personal safety. The statement could not be independently verified and it was not clear where Yanukovich was, although some media groups have suggested he is in Moscow after fleeing Ukraine, where he was toppled by opposition forces at the weekend. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said he…

One of the national newspapers captured the event well when it said: Owerri Shuts down as Jonathan Welcomes PDP Returnees. Since Governor Okorocha’s daughter’s wedding last year, no event or ceremony has impacted Owerri or rocked and restricted movement as much as last week’s presidential visit. The good thing is President Jonathan’s long-awaited visit has finally come. A proud moment for us! It was, indeed, a privilege for us to welcome the first president from the South South – a man who got our votes 100 per cent three years ago. Igbo people, so welcoming and hospitable, turned out in…

North Korea launched four short-range missiles into the East Sea, the South Korean Defense Ministry said Thursday. The ministry said it would provide more details at a news conference later. South Korea and the United States are currently carrying out joint military exercises that North Korea opposes. The South Korean and U.S. militaries are not specific about where they are conducting drills, and it was unclear if the missiles were fired in the direction of the exercises. The EastSea is also known as the Sea of Japan. Saber rattling from Pyongyang last year included threats of preemptive nuclear strikes against…

Terrified students in northeast Nigeria have fled boarding schools after an attack by suspected Boko Haram extremists in which 59 students were shot and hacked to death and the whole school razed. Students refused to stay overnight in their schools and colleges in the wake of the attack on the Federal Government College in Buni Yadi, Yobe state on Tuesday. “Most students of boarding secondary schools have vacated their hostels and moved back to their homes after news of the Buni Yadi attack,” Yunusa Ahmed, who lives in the state capital Damaturu, told AFP. Ahmed’s son is currently studying at…

As the drums continue to beat louder and faster for the National conference, strong signals are emerging as to who the players and the spectators are likely to be at the Confab. Emerging reports suggest that the Hausa/Fulani north are not quite ready neither are they fully in support of a national conference which is likely to question the rights and privileges they enjoy under the present system. However the Arewa joint body continues to meet and dialogue in the interest of the north. Ndigbo on their part appear to be dilly-dallying over leadership issues and who their spokespersons should…

A renowned educationist and former national president of the Association of Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Msgr. Paul C. Amakiri has challenged the Imo State Government to extend free education to mission schools bearing in mind the wards are also sons and daughters of the state. Speaking during a five-day seminar organized by National Association of Catholic Diocesan Directors/Secretaries of Education (NACDDEN) held in Owerri recently, Msgr. Amakiri who is also the Director, Ahiara Diocesan Education Commission recalled his recent efforts to have audience with the governor on the issue, but regretted that his efforts have not…

In a bid to increase its internally generated revenue and provide accommodation for guests, the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), has established a well-equipped Guest House. The Guest House was commissioned on Tuesday, February 11, 2014. In an address on the occasion, the Director Centre for Women, Gender and Development Studies (CWGDS) FUTO and the wife of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. (Mrs.) Ihuoma P. Asiabaka said that since the inception of FUTO in 1980, the university had no guest house of her own. She added that guests of the university were lodged either in hotels or rented apartments which consumed…

Imo State Government has decried the unpatriotic activities of some owners of the hostels at the State Polytechnic Umuagwo and few of their collaborators from the area who he noted are out to cause another trouble in the area with the aim of disrupting the activities and programmes of the institution. The Governor’s Senior Special Assistant (SSA) Media, Mr. Sam Onwuemedo stated that information at the disposal of the government is that these elements have begun to regroup, have sworn to cause problem in the institution and disrupt its academic programmes using the multi-campus policy of the government on the…

Activities marking the 2014 Education Week of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri were rounded off on Sunday, Feb, 16 with Thanksgiving Mass in all parishes in the Archdiocese. However, the grandfinale took place on Friday, February 14 at the Maria Assumpta Cathedral Owerri. It coincided with the Feast of Valentine. The Mass was presided over by the Most Rev. Anthony Obinna, Catholic Archbishop of Owerri. He was assisted by the Vicar-General, Rev. Fr. Patrick Ibole, the Chancellor/Secretary of the Archdiocese, Rev. Fr. Alphonsus Oha, the Director of Education, Rev. Fr. Victor Eleba and other priest members of the Archdiocesan Education…

The National Vice President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (South East) High Chief (Dr) Emeka Onwumere has called for reforms in the administration of the National pension system to facilitate prompt and adequate pension payments to pensioners as at when due. He also called on the federal and State governments to put in safeguards to protect the interests of Pensioners and lamented that corruption remains the greatest threat to pension administration in the country. He made these remarks whilst speaking to the leader in his country home at the gate way town of Owerre Umudioka. The amiable Octogenarian indicated…

Massive purchase is Facebook’s largest ever and comes after Google reportedly made $1bn offer for the company last year Facebook announced the purchase of the mobile messaging service WhatsApp on Wednesday, in a $19bn deal that represents the social media company’s biggest acquisition yet. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, described five-year-old WhatsApp as an “incredibly valuable” service that was well on its way to connecting 1 billion people around the world. The deal is a big bet for Facebook, which has until recently struggled to convince investors of its strategy for mobile. WhatsApp has more than 400m users around…

In most countries of the world the Catholic Church has proven itself to be a competent and strong provider of quality education and moral values. From Europe to Africa down to the Americas, including the Caribbean, Catholic schools are highly regarded and generally do well academically. They are a prime choice for many parents who want their children disciplined and educated, even in countries where education is free and public schools have a high standard. This is because Catholic education has long been recognized for its ability to offer wholistic knowledge to children – an education that focuses on physical,…

Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar II cautioned politicians not to stain the road to 2015 with the blood of Nigerians, saying there is need to stabilize the nation’s polity. “I am appealing to and urging you that the road to 2015 elections should not be stained with the blood of Nigerians”. The call followed the incessant killings and destruction of property that has pervaded the northern part of the country. The monarch said Nigerians were tired of the negative things going on, adding that they want an immediate stoppage to the politics of hatred because it does not pay…

The position and status of assistant parish priest in the Catholic Church has been described as a time to acquire more and special knowledge, which can only be achieved through hard work, diligence and obedience. This view was submitted as part of a homily delivered by Rev. Fr. John-Francis Adile (Cmf), an indigenous priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church Obibiezena, Owerri North LGA, during a Eucharistic celebration organized by Obibiezena Catholic faithful for the send-off ceremony of Rev. Fr. Fauster Echetama who has completed his official pastoral duties in the parish as Assistant Parish Priest, Saturday, February 15, 2014. Fr….

History was made on Saturday, 15th February 2014 when His Grace, Most Rev Anthony Obinna came to our school, Christ the King Secondary School, Obike on Pastoral Visit. It was historical because no Student here ever witnessed such visit to our school before, which we understand happened over eight years ago. Arrival His Grace was met at the bridge by staff and students and he walked with us across the bridge. He was enraptured by the purity of the Ogochia stream, which flows from Umuowere in NguruNgor-Okpala, through Obike to Umuaturu in Etche. He was, however, confronted by angry villagers…